


The Things We've Lost

by Applesaday



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-29
Updated: 2015-06-15
Packaged: 2018-03-04 05:59:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2954783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Applesaday/pseuds/Applesaday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma Swan hasn't had an easy life. Shuffled around foster homes for most of her life, she's been grateful for the companionship of her best friend August through all the tough times. Eventually, they found their true calling with Home Office, working to find and defeat the Evil Queen. Once they discover Storybrooke, they're in for a very different ride than they had anticipated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Victim of Circumstance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I got this little plot bunny a few days ago where I started thinking, what if August hadn't left Emma? What if Home Office was an actual secret organization, not this really messed up Neverland ploy by Pan? And, what if Emma and August were part of Home Office?
> 
> And this is the ensuing fic that sprouted out!
> 
> I'll be jumping back and forth here and there, showing snippets to give you a background of what's going on before getting into the thick of the story. And just as an FYI Emma will be a tad bit more morally gray, but we'll see where things go!
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys this!
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys this!

Emma let out a sigh, lying down on the hard surface that served as her bed, hands behind her head, resting on the flimsy fabric that served as her pillow. She was in for another restless night, just as she had been for the past week, ever since she found out she was pregnant.

The seesawing back-and-forth of whether or not she should keep the child or put it up for adoption was nagging at her. She didn't feel ready, but it wasn't as if she'd be alone. She had her friends who could help her. She knew she could count on August, plus Tamara and Greg were around, and they would try to help her out.

Or at least that's what she thought, until August came to visit her earlier that day.

* * *

"No, you can't keep the kid."

Emma had been expecting a response of solidarity, that he'd help her with this difficult transition, or at the very most have some doubts but eventually give in to help. Never such a forceful denial.

"Why not? Is it because you were jealous of Neal?"

August, from the other side of the glass, sighed, clutching the phone tighter. "No Emma, it's not that. Just think about it for a second. Our job has us moving around a lot, and doing dangerous stuff. Home Office don't look like the kind of organization that offer benefit plans for single mothers. Do you really want to expose your kid to that kind of life?"

"We chose this life August! Plus do you really want to put this child through what we had to when we were in the system?"

"No, I'd do my best to guarantee that the child will be put in a good home. But the real question is, what do  _you_  want for the child?"

It was Emma's turn to sigh, as she thought the options out. After a few minutes, she said, "Their best chance. A chance for a good life filled with stability and the whole perfect family we never had."

August nodded, and then pressed on, looking directly at her. "And do you think that that kid can get their best chance with you?"

Emma's stomach sank as the answer made clear. A tear escaped as she faced the fact. "No."

August felt bad for Emma. She was his best friend, almost like family to him. They had been together through it all, and now he was deceiving her. But it was for her own good. He had to protect her. Just like he always had.

* * *

_**1 month ago:** _

The abandoned parking lot was definitely on the creepy side, but he wanted to meet him somewhere where no one would look for him or could find out about this conversation. It was imperative that everything went according to plan, his proverbial cards stashed in his pockets and sleeves.

August saw Neal waiting, trying to warm his hands up by rubbing on them. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, clearly impatient. Seeing him, the con-man gave him a small wave.

"Hey man. What's up? You told me you had something important to tell me. Though you have to make it quick, I'm supposed to meet Emma with some things."

August nodded slowly. "That's actually exactly what I want to talk to you about. You gotta break up with Emma."

"What?" Neal raised an eyebrow, he clearly wasn't just going to do as August said. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Do you know what Emma does?"

Neal scoffed. He didn't understand what the hell this had to do with breaking up with Emma, and he needed to get going, but the graveness in August's voice kept him in his place. "She's a con-woman, just like me."

"Wrong. Have you ever heard of Home Office?"

"What is it like Office Depot or something?" Neal failed to see what the hell this man was talking about. So far nothing made sense with anything. August had probably had one too many to drink or something. He started to walk off, saying, "Look man, I need to get going. If you want to talk again while you're sober-"

Neal's sentence died on his lips as August grabbed his arm with a grip much tighter than he would've given the writer credit for. Looking once more at August to see what his damage was, he noted how intense the other man's gaze was.

"You're not taking this seriously," August enunciated in an eerily calm voice.

" _You're_  not making any sense, man! You're talking about me breaking up with Emma and her working at this office store!" Neal was livid. Who the hell did this clown think he was?

"Perhaps I need to try another tactic."

Neal scoffed, trying to release his arm with no success. "You think?"

August didn't let up on his hold. "I know you're Baelfire."

Said man blanched, spluttering.

"Now will you listen to me?" It was a rhetorical question. August knew the other man would do anything now that his secret was out.

Emma was practically forgotten as Neal resigned himself to listen to everything the man had to say.

"Home Office is a powerful organization. You see, although this is the 'land without magic', there's actually a shit ton of magic artifacts and dangerous people with magic in this world. Regular people here wouldn't be able to deal with the consequences if it became public knowledge that magic was real. So, we get rid of them."

"Rid of them as in..." Neal made a movement with his hand as if he was slicing his throat off.

August shrugged. "It depends; I never ask."

"But I don't have magic... and if you know my story you know that it was Rumple-"

"Yes yes, the Dark One. Believe it or not I'm from that world. Emma too."

For the first time that night, a ghost of a smile crossed his lips. "Seriously? She's-"

"Not my topic of discussion right now. The point is that there's a folder with your name on it on my desk right now as a potential informant. I will warn you, informants aren't given 5-star treatments."

"So you're going to bring me in?" Neal gulped. He wanted to run but the vice-like grip on his arm was still there. August probably knew about his tendency to run. Emma had the same habits.

"You have a choice. The file only talks about Baelfire, but the one picture there is clearly of you. Here's my offer: you run far, far away, breaking all ties with Emma Swan, never to speak to her again, and I let you walk free,  _and_  that file gets buried way deep in the catacombs that is the archives."

Something wasn't adding up to him. "Wait, why would I need to give up Emma?"

"Three reasons. First because I don't like you. Second, Emma and I are on a mission. Do you know why we're here, and not back in the Enchanted Forest?"

Neal shook his head. He had no idea but he was sure he'd find out soon enough.

"Our entire land was cursed. They were sent to another land to live a life of misery and unhappiness. Emma and I were able to escape before the curse reached us, and ever since then we've been trying to find a way to find them and break the curse. We're pretty sure they're in this land."

The con-man grimaced. "Sounds tough. Sorry about that, man."

"I don't need your pity. I need you to understand that you must never again try to contact Emma. Do we have a deal?"

Neal thought it over. "Not until you tell me what the third reason is."

"The curse was cast by the Evil Queen-"

"Never heard of her," Neal was quick to say.

August gritted his teeth. "I didn't ask you if you did." He took a deep breath as if to compose himself, and then kept talking. "Continuing. She cast the curse that decimated our land and confined them to their doomed existence. However, the witch didn't make her curse. Rather she got it from someone else. The Dark One, to be precise."

"Shit."

August ignored him and continued. "And how do you think Emma will react that her boyfriend's  _dad_  made the curse that took her from her family and forced her into a life of misery in the system?"

Neal tried desperately to think of a reason. "Because that was my dad, not me, I don't want anything to do with him. Why do you think I left?"

"Do you really think Emma will see it that way? Or what it'll do to her reputation when I bring you in? Home Office is already being kind enough by letting us join their ranks, and your involvement could doom her. The deal is what I said earlier. Either you take it all or I'll drag you to Home Office right now."

Neal knew this was a losing battle, and relented. "Fine. Deal."

* * *

Unfortunately that had also led to Emma getting incarcerated as Neal hadn't been there to pick her up. Of course, she didn't know that. August had fed her his own version of the events, explaining that Neal had skipped town, leaving her to be the fall guy for his deal.

So she was stuck there for 11 months. She still had 10 more to go and no idea how to deal with the fact she'd be pregnant for about 8 of those months.

"Hey, I'll start looking around for places to take your kid, places that will guarantee a safe and good home okay?"

Emma just nodded, afraid to say anything else without crying. After a few minutes of silence as Emma willed her emotions back in, she finally said, "Thanks August. I don't know what I'd do without you."

They hung up their phones and Emma was escorted back to her cell, and once he couldn't see her anymore, he finally stood up. Although his methods were less than ideal, he did what he had to do. It was the only way they would be able to focus on getting back to their families, and get revenge on the Evil Queen.

He was a lot angrier than Emma was at having been torn from his home. Since Emma had been a newborn, she didn't remember the life she had before, or of even having parents. She had no idea who they were, they could be anyone in the Enchanted Forest.

August on the other hand, remembered Geppetto all too well, and he vowed he would find a way to free him from the curse. If it also included burning the witch on the way, he would gladly do it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was chapter 1!
> 
> So what does everyone think? Yay or nay?
> 
> This is a rehash of the show, but I promise it won't be verbatim in any way, shape, or form. I will be shifting some facts around to fit my story, so obviously things like August and Tamara meeting with the Dragon will be different, etc.
> 
> Also I'm not going to follow the whole August has to remain true to himself in order to stay a human, because really, it's impossible for any human being, despite how much they try, to be that altruistic. If there does exist, my hat's off to them. August is a human, and will continue to stay a human and his age in this story.
> 
> That also means that, like you saw, August will be a much shadier character. But he's NOT going to be an antagonist! He and Emma are both victim of circumstances, so they act like life has made them do.
> 
> I'd love for feedback so please let me know what you think!


	2. Plotters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're going to jump right into the future. Just shifting the story a bit, rather than being a bailbonds person, Emma is a Bounty Hunter for magical creatures with Home Office, but you'll read more about it further on.
> 
> Enjoy!

_**11 years later:** _

Emma practically collapsed against the door of her apartment, kicking off her heels. She was never going to agree to do this again.

"So how was the 'date'?" August peered from her kitchen with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes before levelling him with a glare. "Terrible of course. You'd think a leprechaun would know when to give up, rather than hope the  _luck of the Irish_  will help him out. I still don't know how you guys got me to agree to this."

"Oh come on Swan, it's fun chasing the little buggers."

The glare continued as Emma grumbled, "'Little' is a bit misconstrued. The guy was nearly 6 feet tall and looked like he could body check half the restaurant with one run. Granted, he kind of did just that when he fled out of there."

Emma had walked over to the kitchen and graciously accepted the newly opened bottle of beer August offered. "So what happened afterwards?"

"I left him with O'Hara, guy's an expert in dealing with leprechauns, plus it's my birthday, I'm allowed to ask for favours like that," she responded with a shrug, sitting down in one of the chairs. Then she turned to her friend, donning a haughty frown. "And what in the world are you doing here? I don't remember inviting you."

August smirked at Emma and just took a swig of his own drink. "You know me, I heard there was a birthday girl here, and just had to visit."

Before she could rebut, someone knocked on her door. "Seriously? Don't these people know what time it is?"

"10 bucks says it's the weird cat lady."

Emma just sent him an amused look, and padded over to the door. Opening it, she was faced with a kid who was probably lost. "Uh...wrong door kid."

Completely ignoring her remark, he asked, "Are you Emma Swan?"

Her theories flew right out the window. She nodded before trying to think as to what this kid could want. Clients came to her through Home Office, so what was... "My name is Henry, I'm your son."

* * *

"I thought you said it had been a closed adoption!" Emma had left the kid sitting on the chair she had been occupying before the kid knocked, and had dragged August into her room with no tact, just a desperate need to make sense of the situation. "Operative word: closed!"

"It was!" August was just as flabbergasted as she was.

"Then explain to me how a 10-year old kid managed to find me!" She wasn't panicking, not at all.

August tried to think of some plausible answer. "I don't know! Maybe his parents helped him?"

Emma gave him a look that told him exactly what she thought of his bogus answer. No kid would come alone if that was the case.

Suddenly, they were interrupted with a question from the young boy, hollering from the kitchen. "Hey do you have any juice?" After a beat, he added, "Never mind! Found it!"

Emma shook her head, trying to think clearly. "Just let me handle this, okay? I'll take him back home and we can forget this whole thing happened, okay?"

"Fine, but be careful okay?"

* * *

_**14 years ago:** _

"Am I going to be in trouble?" Emma stood at the threshold of the rundown apartment August had taken her to, as if afraid that taking another step would sound alarms and have Social Services appear to drag her back. It wasn't that she thought her long-time friend would betray her like that, but in the past, every time she ran away they had found her, so she felt like she had enough reason to be wary.

"Nah, you're free now Em, if anyone asks, you're with me. I'm a legal adult, remember? No one will question me. If anyone gives you trouble, just say I'm your wacky cousin, and you're living with me." August grinned and held his arms out with a flourish. "Though it will help us more if you keep it low key, so come on in before the neighbours start asking questions."

She did come in, and it was everything she had hoped it'd be. When they had been in group homes together, August and Emma would always muse about running away to live together and escape all the crappy homes they got put into. Of course, when August got set free at 18, Emma had been expecting to be able to run off with him, but her friend had wanted to get a bit of financial stability before taking her on.

So she waited. The original one month timeline had been delayed to 2 years because she had been sent off to a foster home with no way to contact August, or for him to contact her.

A couple of hours later Emma had settled her stuff down in her own room. Although all her belongings fit inside a duffel bag, with plenty of room to spare, it was almost like an act of trust to set her things down and outside the bag. Emma was a runner, and when she kept her stuff in her bag, chances were that she was planning an escape to run far away as fast as possible.

Now both friends were sitting on the fire escape, August drinking a beer, Emma drinking Coke, though from its flat state, she guessed it had been in August's fridge for a while.

"Do you think we'll really find them?" Emma suddenly asked.

No explanations were needed to know what Emma was asking. "Yeah. We come from a land of happy endings, we'll find them soon Em. And then we can defeat that Evil Queen, find your parents and my father."

She smiled. It would be sweet karma to be able to drive a sword through that bitch's heart. But Emma was worried, she didn't know who her parents were, so how could she know if they were still alive? "What if they were killed? Collateral damage isn't uncommon, and if they were nobodies, who's to say the Evil Queen didn't just off with them?"

August shook his head. "I don't think they'd have sent you through the wardrobe portal if you or your parents were nobodies."

They fell into silence, each pondering. Then suddenly they heard a crash, and when they looked to the source of the sound, three figures were running through the alley below them.

"You're cornered now!" One voice, a female, yelled out.

Indeed the figure to the right was cornered, while the two other figures - one of them had a gun Emma noted - were trying to grab the cornered silhouette.

And then, chaos erupted. An animalistic growl was heard and the silhouette attacked.

"Come on, let's help them." August said, jumping up and starting to run down the steps.

Emma followed along, exclaiming, "Which side are we helping?"

"The ones with the gun!" was the last thing August said before launching himself into the mass tangle of bodies.

Emma stayed behind, wondering what she could do, or how she could help. She saw a pipe protruding from the trashcan, and grabbed it. She wasn't exactly strong, seeing as foster homes barely had enough to eat let alone have the equipment or facilities to help her physical strength.

"He's getting away!"

Suddenly the creature was charging away from where August and the two other figures were tangled, and heading right her way.

Despite her lack of training, if there was one thing Emma was excellent at, it was baseball. Seeing the creature headed towards her, she swung the pipe like it was a bat.

The dull clunk was a satisfying sound as the creature fell to the ground unconscious.

"Way to go Em!" August grinned, running up to her. Looking at the creature she hit, she was surprised to see fur. Lots and lots of fur.

"Werewolf, if you're wondering." Emma looked up to see the other two figures, a man and a woman. They were around August's age, perhaps a bit older, and despite their winded and disheveled appearances, they seemed friendly enough.

"Huh. Didn't think there were any here." August said thoughtfully.

Although August was too busy glancing at the unconscious creature, Emma still saw the two others glance at each other hearing her friend's comment.

"I'm Greg, this is Tamara."

* * *

_**Present:** _

"So why'd you hunt me down kid?" They'd been on the road for hours now, headed to a place called Storybrooke. She had snorted in laughter when she heard it, and tried to ignore the feeling at the back of her head like she should know this place, or at least be wary of it.

"It's a long story."

"Well it's not like I've got anything else to occupy my mind right now."

She glanced at the kid and saw Henry looking like he was debating whether or not to tell her. It seemed he settled against the idea as he shook his head. "You wouldn't believe me right now, plus it's complicated. But what I can tell you, is that my mom is evil."

Emma's heart sunk. Evil? Her mind went to the countless of foster homes and the parents within them that abused their kids behind closed doors. But August had told her that the woman who adopted him checked out. He hadn't told her much in order to prevent Emma from getting curious and going after the child, but he had assured her that the child was in good hands, and to hear this... "How long have you been with her?"

Henry shrugged. "All my life."

So this was the same woman. "What does she do that makes her so evil?"

"She plots." Emma had been expecting a more descriptive answer, but hearing only the two words, she chanced another glance at the child. "Plots? That's her big crime?"

"You don't understand! She's evil!" Now she was sure the kid was nuts. Since when was plotting evil? If it was, the kid had gotten out of the frying pan and into the fire, because she was a plotter.

"Kid, I'm sure you have this perfect conspiracy theory, but right now, if you're not going to explain to me what it is, why don't we leave that topic for another day?"

"You asked." Henry scoffed, but agreed. Cheeky little shit he was. "So who was the guy in the apartment?"

"A friend."

Apparently her answer must not have been too convincing, because he responded with, "It's okay, you can admit you have a boyfriend, my mom has one too, but every time I ask, she always says he's just a friend."

How was she to explain to a 10-year old kid that she didn't do dating or boyfriends, or girlfriends for that matter? Or the fact that this mysterious boyfriend of his mom's was probably a friend with benefits. "Kid, I  _don't_  have a boyfriend."

He didn't believe her, and instead just looked out the window. After a beat, she asked, "Is your mom's boyfriend an okay guy?"

A shrug was the primary response, followed by, "I guess he's alright. I don't see him often, he's the Sheriff. But he's a bit stiff, like he doesn't have any emotions."

"Sounds like a charming guy." Emma was dreading having to spend more time than necessary in this town. She was going to drop off the kid and not look back. Tomorrow she'd try to see if Home Office had any brain bleach.

* * *

"You're Henry's birth mother?" Emma's heart clenched at how devastated the other woman sounded. If she was supposed to be evil beyond plotting, she was a damn good actress, because not even she could see the malignant streak the kid had babbled about, and her entire life revolved around catching slippery magical beings that thought they were all that because they were powerful.

"Hi," she attempted to flash a disarming smile. How in the world could she convince this woman that she wasn't here to intrude?

"How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted?"

Emma let out a laugh, because really, who'd have guessed the -very attractive, she might add- mother of her child wanted to share a drink with her. "Got anything stronger?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was this chapter!
> 
> I'm sorry if it felt like I was jumping around, but I really didn't want to rehash the entire ep, and the story'll be shifting drastically. Next we see what happens with the drinks, the day after, and Henry's theory!
> 
> Just as a clarification, no August won't be a romantic interest for Emma or vice versa. They don't see each other exactly as siblings, but as close as friends could get if they weren't related.
> 
> I hope everyone enjoyed this!


	3. Not What it Seems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! More with this fic.
> 
> Let's keep moving on!

Emma had to admit that the woman in front of her didn't necessarily ring as evil. That didn't mean that she was ready to trust trust this Regina Mills; her instincts - which were usually dead on correct - were telling her that there was a sinister air about her. But she wouldn't go as far as to call her 'evil'.

Regina finally broke the silence. "I'm truly sorry that Henry dragged you here, he has been a bit strange lately."

Emma hummed, putting her glass down. "I can tell."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Regina asked in a scathing tone, eyes narrowing.

She put her hands up placatingly. Man this lady was set off easily. "Nothing negative. It's just that he seems convinced of some things..."

"Such as?"

She sighed and shook her head. "Look Ms. Mills, I don't think it'd be good for me to get involved. I don't want to intrude more than I have. The kid clearly sought me out for some strange reason, but I think I should bow out of here. I put him for a closed adoption, and it still stands."

Regina nodded, unconsciously letting out a sigh of relief. "I concur. I think you'll probably be wanting to head back out?"

Emma looked outside at the crummy night and frowned. "I think I'll have to postpone it to tomorrow, the weather looks a bit gloomy and it's a four hour ride to Boston...do you guys have any hotels or anything?"

"We have a bed & breakfast," Regina offered with a saccharine smile.

"Perfect. Thank you so much Ms. Mills, and sorry for disturbing."

Regina waved it off, standing up and heading to the door. "Nothing to apologize for, I hope you have a nice trip back."

Emma followed the brunette back to the door, and stepped over the threshold. Before Regina could shut the door, Emma turned around and with a smile said, "Thanks. Hope to see you around."

* * *

"So does she check out?"

"Yeah, a little bit on the icy side, but I imagine if the birth mother of my adopted child all of a sudden showed up, I wouldn't exactly be rolling out the welcome mat," Emma responded with a sigh.

She was lying on her bed at the B&B, talking to August on the phone.

"Fair enough. What was the kid's damage anyway?"

"I don't even know August. Apparently the lady is 'evil' and  _plots_."

August let out a guffaw on the other end of the line. When he finally composed himself, he said, "Hell of a birthday you have huh?"

"Tell me about it. Not to mention that this looks like a town that time forgot. Not even the clocktower works! It's stuck at 8:15."

"Damn, better make sure you come home soon before they start feeding on your brains and turn you into a small-town thrall like them."

She let out a scoff. "Like that'll happen. Anyway, I'm beat, so I'm going to try and get some rest. Let Pierce know I won't be coming in tomorrow, okay?"

"You got it. Night Em."

"'Night August," Emma said, before disconnecting the call. What a day indeed.

* * *

The next morning, Emma checked out of the Bed & Breakfast, and then went to get a pretty good coffee to go with a bear claw from the attached diner, exchanging a few words with Ruby, a waitress there and apparently Granny's granddaughter.

15 minutes later, she saw the town line approaching. To this day she didn't know what made her look, but as she glanced at the floor of the passenger side, she saw something peeking out beneath the seat, that clearly hadn't been there yesterday when she was in Boston. Pulling to the curb, Emma put the car in park and reached down. She came back with a large leather-bound book, gilded letters spelling out  _Once Upon a Time_.

Frowning, she opened the thick cover and quickly thumbed through the pages, seeing that it seemed to be a book full of stories, probably fairy tales. She knew just who this belonged to, and was impressed at the kid's intelligence and forethought on how to get Emma to not leave right away. Setting the book down on the passenger seat, she put her car in motion again, and made a u-turn, heading back into the town.

How the hell was she going to explain this?

Some minutes later, Emma was ringing the doorbell of the Mills house. Receiving no response, Emma figured that they were probably out, and pondered as to what she should do.

She really didn't want to cross paths with Regina and upset her, or make her think that she was a threat, so Emma headed to the diner to see if she could fish for information from Ruby.

* * *

"Couldn't keep away huh?" Ruby asked with a smirk when Emma entered the diner.

She gave a nervous chuckle and shrugged. "Not exactly, Henry left something of his in my car, and I want to return it, but he's not at home and I'm figuring he's at school."

"You figure correctly, and as you can see, this isn't Storybrooke Public," Ruby responded playfully.

Emma lightly chuckled and said, "I figured as much, but I was wondering if you could tell me where it was? I'd drop it off with his mom, but I figure that the last thing she'd want is to see me."

"Yeah, the Mayor's a...complicated woman to deal with." Understatement of the year, Emma thought. Though she hadn't spoken to the woman much, she didn't exactly seem to be giving off vibes as someone who was a social butterfly.

"Noted. Directions?"

5 minutes later, Emma was back in her car and headed to the school.

* * *

Henry looked up at a knock on the door, and could barely hide his grin at seeing Emma.

Emma for her part, wanted to be in and out quickly. She hadn't exactly stopped by the administration office before heading to the classroom that Ruby had explained was taught by her good friend, Mary Margaret. She wasn't even sure  _what_ she would have said to the secretary. 'Hi I'm Henry's biological mother and I need to drop something off of his because I'm not brave enough to face his actual mother, so please don't call her.'

She could face magical monsters on a weekly basis, so there was no reason for her to be scared. Regina was just an average over-protective parent.

"Hi, can I help you?" A pixie-haired woman greeted her at the door with an easy smile. This must be Mary Margaret.

"Uh yeah hi, I just have something of Henry's that I need to drop off," Emma responded, holding out the tome. Her eyes flickered to where the boy was, grinning widely. She didn't return it, not wanting to give him any ideas.

Mary Margaret took the book, and frowned, head tilting a bit. "And who are you? I don't think I've seen you around before..."

"Just a friend, nothing more," Emma breezily responded, hoping she'd leave it at that.

The teacher didn't look like she believed a word, but turned back to the classroom and asked, "Henry, did you forget something?"

Henry got up from his seat and made his way to the front of the class, taking the book from his teacher's grasp. "Can I talk to Emma for a second?"

Mary Margaret seemed to consider this for a moment, and then relented. "Very well, but just for a little bit."

Once they were outside the classroom, Henry turned to Emma, beaming. "You came back! Did you read the book?"

Emma sighed. She should have dropped the book off and ran. Or faced Regina. "Look kid, I just came to drop this off because it belongs to you, nothing more. I was at the town line when I saw it, and-"

"No, you can't leave!" Henry exclaimed in a pained whisper. "Bad things happen when people try to leave!"

She fought the snort of disbelief that wanted to voice itself. A likely story from a kid. She just had to lay it out straight. Kneeling down so she was eye-level in front of him, she said "Look, Henry, I'm not sure what your plan was by bringing me here, but I'm not who you think I am nor who you want me to be. You have a really good life with your mom in this town, and I wouldn't be able to compete with that, and neither do I want to. My life doesn't exactly make it easy to have a kid, so just try to understand that your mom loves you very much. From what I heard, parents sometimes do things that kids don't always like, but they do it with their children's best intentions in mind. She might seem evil now, but she loves you."

Emma didn't feel the need to mention that the latter had never personally happened to her or anyone else that she knew in the foster system, but Henry shouldn't have to worry about the harsh realities of the world just yet.

Henry pondered Emma's words for a minute before saying. "I can't talk now, can you meet me after school by the castle? It's a playground by the beach. I really need to explain something to you."

She let out a sigh, "Henry..."

"Please?" he pleaded. She knew she shouldn't give in. If his mother found out, or if she got too involved, things would end badly. "I promise after that I'll let you leave."

"Fine. After school today, okay?"

Henry beamed and gave her a hug. "Awesome, Operation Cobra is a go!"

Emma was left crouching with her mouth gaping. He was clearly something else and a half. She stood up and started to make her way outside, until her stomach dropped.

"Excuse me? What are you doing here?" asked a man coming out of a classroom.

Emma looked around as if she was lost, before giving the man a sheepish smile and making her voice higher to seem like she was more of an airhead. "Oh! Is this not the...Storybrooke...community center? I'm  _so_  sorry, I forgot my glasses today and have just been all over the place!"

The man didn't look too convinced. Damn this was twice in one day that her attempts at lying were not received properly. She was clearly off her game.

"Community center's closed today, lady. So why don't you and I take a trip to the office, I'm sure that after the Sheriff arrives, he'll be very interested in your story," the man said, grabbing her arm. She decided she wouldn't be doing herself any favours if she decked him, so she decided to keep playing the dumb lost woman, for now.

* * *

That was how Emma Swan found herself locked up in a cell at the Police Station less than an hour later.

"Seriously? Are you living such a boring life that you arrest someone for something as pointless as trespassing?" Emma huffed, resting her arms on the slats of her cell, head leaning against the bars.

"Will you shut it, sister? Some of us are trying to sleep here," a gruff voice to her right said. She smelled alcohol reeking from the lump on the cot, and decided she'd be happier not asking.

The Sheriff walked over to her with a smirk. She recognized him from yesterday, he was Regina's supposed boyfriend, according to Henry. Which meant that her chances of being busted by the frosty Mayor had probably just quadrupled. "Trespassing isn't exactly an easy matter."

Emma rolled her eyes. "It's a school in the middle of fuck-knows-where Maine, what the hell kind of problem could I cause?"

"That's what I'd like to know," he responded, smirk still in place. If Emma didn't know any better, she'd say he was flirting with her, and despite the fact that he was pretty good-looking, Emma was really not in the mood.

"Graham? You called saying that I should come for-" Well fuck, Regina had arrived. She froze when she saw who Graham was was speaking to. "What the hell are  _you_  doing here?"

Emma flinched at the tone and the glare. But before she could respond, Graham sold her out. "Mr. Kent found her wandering around the school, where she claimed that she had been trying to find the community center. I arrested her for trespassing."

"So sue me, can't a woman walk around freely in this town?" she asked.

"The school?" Regina repeated, mouth pursing as she approached the cell where the blonde was currently in. " _Henry's_  school? I thought, Ms. Swan, that we had reached an agreement that you were  **not**  interested in being in his life?"

"And that agreement still stands. But your son left his fairy tale storybook in my car, and I wanted to avoid having to mail it back when I got to Boston, or have him try to chase me down to find it."

"Storybook? What book?" Regina asked.

"I don't know, it was this leather bound tome with 'Once Upon a Time' written on it and a bunch of illustrations," Emma shrugged, dismissing the importance of the book. "I just didn't want to cause trouble for you or anything so I just thought I'd drop it off with him and be on my way, but the ever vigilant science teacher, the crabby secretary lady and your Sheriff thought I was a delinquent criminal and should be processed."

"Ms. Swan, you have absolutely no right to see  _my_  son without my express permission, even if it was to return this...book. Am I clear?" Regina's face looked dangerous at this point.

"Crystal clear, considering it's not happening again."

"See that it doesn't. Otherwise I'll report you to the law and let  _them_  deal with you, and I'm sure you wouldn't like that, would you? Now, you probably want to be on your way to Boston, so I'll allow the Sheriff let you out." Without waiting for a response, Regina turned around and walked away.

"Finally, my head was starting to hurt," the drunk on the other cell grumbled.

* * *

Despite saying that she would stay away, she decided to stick around for Henry's meeting at his castle, against her better judgement and common sense. What she should do was be crossing the state line into New Hampshire by now, not be leaning against a playground fixture as she waited for a kid to arrive to a clandestine meeting. She had to admit that the derelict castle could use a lot of work, and as Henry approached her, she waved at him.

"You stayed!" Henry exclaimed, going to hug her.

Emma had hoped to avoid shows of affection, so she just awkwardly gave him a pat on his shoulder and said, "So, what's so important that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"This," Henry simply said, taking out his book.

"Your fairy tale book?" Emma asked skeptically.

"It's not just a fairy tale book, all of this is real!" Henry exclaimed. He ran into the wooden structure and popped up near where she was standing, sitting down with his legs dangling out.

Emma's eyes were bugging out. Fairy tales...being real, it couldn't be. "Is that so? Why do you think that kid?" Emma asked, trying to keep her voice level. She shouldn't get so excited over what could be a false alarm.

"I know it's hard to believe, but everything that happened in this book is real. Everyone in this storybook lives in this town. They just don't know it, they were cursed from their land and brought here, and they don't remember their past lives as fairy tales. Time's been frozen forever, which is why they've stayed the same for all this time. But you can break the curse and bring back the happy endings!" Henry exclaimed, getting more excited.

"Why do you think that?" Emma asked.

"Because you're the Saviour. You're meant to take down the Evil Queen, my mom." Henry frowned a bit, knowing that his mom probably wasn't too convinced. "You have to trust me. Please believe me."

"Oh don't worry Henry, I do believe you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooooh. What will Emma do now?
> 
> So next up to be updated will be A Thief in the Night!
> 
> Love to know your thoughts.


	4. Your Move

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm back with this fic!
> 
> So Henry has told Emma about the fairy tales being real, and Emma said she believes him. Now what's going to happen?
> 
> Let's find out!

"You-you do?" Henry asks, and he sounds so hopeful and enthusiastic that it make Emma grin.

"Yep. With how surprised you seem, I'm guessing you were banking on me not believing?"

Henry nodded. "Yeah, I thought you were going to think I was crazy."

Emma made a face, mentally agreeing with him. if she hadn't had August who told her the entire story many years ago, she would probably had though the kid was plum crazy. "And what were you going to use to convince me, kid? This storybook?"

He actually hadn't thought out that far ahead actually. Getting Emma to come with him and stay had been his only priority. He didn't think he would get this far so quickly. "Maybe? I guess I would've wanted you to see how everything is weird, or how my friends haven't been growing up."

"They haven't been growing up?"

Henry nodded. "Yeah, everyone's stuck in time. You didn't know?"

"Not really, I got the hell out of dodge a few minutes after I was born, how  _could_  I know?" Emma explained.

"Wait, then who told you about all of this?"

Emma sighed, thinking it would do her no good to lie. "You remember August?" Henry nodded yes. "He's from that world too."

"He  _is_? Who was he?"

Emma smiled ruefully. "Pinocchio. He's a bit older now as you saw, but he was a kid when he went through the wardrobe, so he filled me in on things. He didn't have much to show, but it was enough."

"And you believed him?" Henry asked in awe. "With hardly any proof?"

"Doesn't look like it's stopping you from believing, and all you've got going is that paperweight of a book and a town of ageless denizens," Emma countered.

Henry conceded that Emma was probably right. "Okay, so what's the plan?"

Emma frowned at Henry's gung-ho attitude. "Plan? What plan?"

"You know, for how you're going to break the curse! I mean, that's what we've got to do. Maybe you can ask August! He should know what to do!"

"Whoa, slow down kid, let's take it one thing at a time. First, we're going to hold off on including August for a while; he's pretty busy and I want to get a lay of the land before calling in the cavalry. Second, why do  _I_  have to break this curse? I have no idea how. Actually, how did you even know about the curse? I mean, I get that that book has everyone's stories, but doesn't it say anything about the curse? Or what I have to do with it?"

Henry made a face. "Not really. But as for what you have to do with it..." He flipped to the final chapters of the book and pointed to an image of a newborn baby. "That's you."

Emma looked at the picture of the newborn swaddled in a thick fabric, her lips slowly parting in surprise. "That's- that's my baby blanket. How did you know it was me from that picture alone?"

He actually didn't know. Something inside him just told him that that was his mom, and that her name was Emma Swan. "Just a hunch," he answered with a shrug.

Although Emma knew that it wasn't the entire story, she decided not to press. "Back to the curse-breaking. Explanation, now."

So Henry ventured to explain everything as best he could. "You know about Rumpelstiltskin, right?"

"Yeah, a little. The Dark One and the big bad who screwed over everyone's stories by making crazy deals, right?"

"Exactly. He created the curse for my mom, so she could take revenge on Snow White and get her happy ending. But he was double-crossing her. He told your parents that you were the Saviour, that you were going to break the curse, but to do that, you couldn't be cursed with them. So your parents got Geppetto to make a wardrobe from a magical tree so you would escape the curse. Then 28 years later, you would be back and ready to break the curse."

Emma nodded. It made sense with what August told her, the little that he knew, though the part about her being the Saviour was new. "But why am I the Saviour? What's so special about me?"

"You're the product of true love!" Henry stated with a bright smile.

" _Whose_  true love, exactly?" Emma skeptically asked.

Henry looked confused at Emma's lack of knowledge on her parentage. "Snow White and Prince Charming...you didn't know that?"

Emma shook her head. "Nope, as you can see, I was a newborn when I was sent away, and August didn't really know. But anyway, who are they here?"

"Well Snow White is Ms. Blanchard, my teacher!" Henry responded perkily.

The blonde was near gaping. She had met her mother. She had actually stood face to face with a woman that, for the past 28 years, she could only imagine how she would be like, and now she was within arm's reach.

"And Prince Charming is John Doe," Henry added glumly.

"John Doe? How original," Emma snickered. "What does he do?"

"He's a patient at the hospital. But no one knows who he really is so he doesn't have a name. He was in an accident and now he's in a coma," Henry explained. "Ms. Blanchard visits him every day though."

Emma chuckled. "Do you keep tabs on your grandparents?"

"Nooo," Henry countered. "We were at the hospital for a research project, and she explained that she volunteered there every day, giving flowers."

"Okay okay, next question. How are we supposed to break a curse if we don't know how to do it? Does anyone know?" Emma asked. "Your mother maybe?"

Henry's look of pure horror shot that idea down. "She's the enemy! We can't involve her!"

Emma left it at that but she figured that was the most solid plan they had, because in her experience working for the Home Office, consorting with the bad guys could ensure wins most of the time. "Okay. Who else would know? How about Rumpelstiltskin? Would he know if we tried to cut a deal with him? Or is he cursed?"

"Worse. He's dead," Henry responded glumly.

Emma was surprised at that. "How?"

Henry didn't know the details - he also informed her that the book glossed over on a lot of things - but he died while imprisoned. "From what I can tell, he didn't have time to tell my mom about you, so we have the advantage."

"Maybe we can use that. I have a plan."

* * *

"You're staying? Fuck, did they brainwash you just like that?"

Emma smiled a bit at August's quip. "Not exactly. I just think that, right now, Henry needs my help."

"Em, you do know that you have no legal right to him?" August asked, sounding unsure of how she was going to take it.

"Yeah August, I do. And this is temporary, alright? I just don't want the kid to keep running off again and forcing me to play taxi driver. Just trust me on this, okay? I have the vacation days, so Pierce can't say anything against it."

It wasn't that Emma didn't trust August. She did. He was her only friend and the closest thing she had as family. But she also knew that August was brash and hot-headed. If he caught even the faintest sniff of his father being here, he wouldn't hesitate to barge in here with entire field team from Home Office. But this wasn't a war in Emma's mind.

No, this was a chess game. And right now, Emma needed brains to win this long game against Regina, not a show of bravado. Such an act might make the Evil Queen feel cornered, which in turn might cause her to lash out, and if the stories were anything like the real deal, she was a force to be reckoned with.

"Alright, keep me updated, will you? If you start becoming a pod person, I'm keeping your music collection."

Emma smiled. "Over my dead body, Booth."

* * *

Regina frowned when she heard the doorbell ring. It was dinner time, no respectable person would be visiting at this hour. Henry was sitting beside her, shoving his stir fry around the plate as if the friction would make them disappear. He barely spoke anymore, and Regina hardly knew how to talk to him lately and try to bridge this gap that they evidently had.

"I'll be right back, Henry, you keep eating, okay?" Regina dabbed at her lips with her napkin before depositing it, and standing up. She walked out of the dining room and towards the front entrance. Once she was in the foyer, she took a deep breath, and opened the door.

Letting out her breath in annoyed huff, she gripped the door tighter. "Ms. Swan, either you are dumber than you look, or you  _really_  don't understand the law, and the agreement you yourself made earlier. So once again, let me reiterate something: You are not welcome here, or in this town. So kindly leave me, and  _my_  son, alone. I am grateful you brought him back, but that's about it. You can take your hideous jacket and that deathtrap that you call a car out of this town and never return, or else I will call the cops and various courts so they can thoroughly inform you on how this works.."

But Emma didn't seem to be too intimidated by Regina's scathing greeting and threats. Instead, she smirked. "Actually, I think you'll find that you'll soon enough see it pertinent to invite me into your home."

Regina highly doubted she would ever do such a thing. "And why in the world would I feel compelled to do something as stupid as that?"

"Because when Henry first told me about you, I was imagining something quite different. A terrible mother, a dirty politician, or overall, a rude person. But you being the Evil Queen? That just takes the cake. So unless you want to awaken a sleeping dragon that would be very interested in your demise, you will let me in. And don't even try to deny it. Henry knows it too, and you can lie to me all you want, but are you really going to lie to  _your_  son to his own face?"

Internally, Regina was panicking. This couldn't be happening. "Well Ms. Swan, it seems I underestimated you. Please do come in. We can speak after dinner."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooooh, Emma and Regina going for a confrontation, how do you think that will go?
> 
> And yes indeed, Rumple is deader than a doormat for this fic. No scheeming imp here!
> 
> Meanwhile, I'll be updating A Thief in the Night, followed by Equals!
> 
> I'd love to know your thoughts! Especially since this fic doesn't really get much love, so if there's something you think could be improved, let me know!


End file.
